bringing cigars into Jamaica

From my user name, you can guess I'm a cigar smoker. my wife and I are going to CSS for our honeymoon and I have been planing which cigars to bring with me to Jamaica. I've never flown internationally before so I don't know how things work at customs getting into a country. I've got a 15 count travel humidor that I have my cigars in, special cigars that i've been letting age for a few years. My worry is that that customs in Jamaica will not let me enter the country with them and I'll have to give them up. Please note these are not cuban cigars as that would be illegal as I am a US resident, however these are higher end cigars that I would like to enjoy while relaxing at CSS.

Can anyone shed any light on what the normal reaction to bringing cigars for personal use into Jamaica is?

You generally do not have to declare anything that you bring into the country that you plan to leave with (e.g., clothing) or anything that you bring into the country and plan to consume there (e.g., sunblock and your cigars). If you were bringing the cigars as gifts for others, then you would be required to declare them.

When you return home, you will be required to report anything that you acquired in Jamaica that you are bringing into the country, whether something you purchased or something that was a gift to you, so if you purchase cigars while in Jamaica and return home with them, you will have to declare them on your U.S. Customs form.

The Customs Tariff allows for each passenger to receive duty concessions in respect of the following:

<snippage>

Tobacco and some potable articles including wines and spirits in the baggage or on the person which they might reasonably be expected to carry with them for personal use, in such quantities as the Commissioner may from time to time approve."

I think that cigars would fall under the same provision as the cigarettes, which is that if they are for your personnal use then there should not be any problem. Cubans are legal in Jamaica, infact you can buy them there in Jamaica. In fact my husband has purchased them at CN. I would think that you should be ok.

Cubans are legal in Jamaica, infact you can buy them there in Jamaica. In fact my husband has purchased them at CN. I would think that you should be ok.

The OP isn't planning to purchase cigars in Jamaica but was inquiring about bringing cigars into Jamaica for his personal consumption. Since you raised the subject purchasing Cuban cigars in Jamaica, however, . . . .

The OP is from the U.S. It doesn't matter that vendors in Jamaica can legally sell Cuban products; U.S. federal law makes it illegal for Americans, NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE, to purchase Cuban goods.

Under the Trading with the Enemy Act, 50 U.S.C.S. Appx § 1, et seq., it is illegal for Americans, no matter where they are in the world, to do something that benefits an enemy country (Cuba is currently the only country on the list under this Act). This includes purchasing goods grown in, manufactured in, or transported through such a country, as the purchase benefits the enemy economically. A lot of people choose to ignore this law or aren't even aware of it. While it is impossible to police Americans violating the law by buying a cigar from a beach vendor and I've never heard of anyone being prosecuted for doing so, it just makes my legal hackles rise when someone counsels others that Americans may legally buy Cuban goods in Jamaica when, in fact, they cannot.

also, does anyone know if bringing butane lighters or ones such as bics are able to be brought into the country?

1) if you are going to smoke a " good stick" i strongly advise against lighting it with bic lighter.
2) pack one of your colibris in your humidor with your cutter. Tape the humidor closed with a piece of clear packing tape and put in your checked bag

Except for the december right after 9/11 i have never had an issue packing my cigars/stuff

1) if you are going to smoke a " good stick" i strongly advise against lighting it with bic lighter.
2) pack one of your colibris in your humidor with your cutter. Tape the humidor closed with a piece of clear packing tape and put in your checked bag

Except for the december right after 9/11 i have never had an issue packing my cigars/stuff

spark em up and enjoy

bics and jet flames use the same type of fuel so it may just take a bit longer to light. Sometimes a softflame is a nice way to get the cigar going. I prefer a jet flame like the pb207 or the z insert for the zippo, however i saw on the tsa page that traveling with jet flame lighters is on the no list. While I do have some cheap lighters I wouldn't mind losing to tsa I don't know if I can get butane easily in Jamaica

The OP isn't planning to purchase cigars in Jamaica but was inquiring about bringing cigars into Jamaica for his personal consumption. Since you raised the subject purchasing Cuban cigars in Jamaica, however, . . . .

The OP is from the U.S. It doesn't matter that vendors in Jamaica can legally sell Cuban products; U.S. federal law makes it illegal for Americans, NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE, to purchase Cuban goods.

Under the Trading with the Enemy Act, 50 U.S.C.S. Appx § 1, et seq., it is illegal for Americans, no matter where they are in the world, to do something that benefits an enemy country (Cuba is currently the only country on the list under this Act). This includes purchasing goods grown in, manufactured in, or transported through such a country, as the purchase benefits the enemy economically. A lot of people choose to ignore this law or aren't even aware of it. While it is impossible to police Americans violating the law by buying a cigar from a beach vendor and I've never heard of anyone being prosecuted for doing so, it just makes my legal hackles rise when someone counsels others that Americans may legally buy Cuban goods in Jamaica when, in fact, they cannot.

I wasn't aware of how strict the law was. It is just almost unbelievable to me that a law like that is even possible. How can they possibly tell me I can't do something when I am not even in the country! That is crazy. I believe it but it is still crazy. What are Americans who are in Cuba supposed to do? Our church has missionaries there. How can they legally eat?

The OP is from the U.S. It doesn't matter that vendors in Jamaica can legally sell Cuban products; U.S. federal law makes it illegal for Americans, NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE, to purchase Cuban goods.

While this is true, and I understand it. It makes me wonder why we, or should I say our elected officials, would pass a law that cannot be enforced. Atleast not without substancial cost. I will say this though, if our government wants to spend some more money, go on down to Jamaica, mexico, or anywhere else that you can buy Cuban cigars. They can find plenty of Americans to arrest under this law.

The OP is from the U.S. It doesn't matter that vendors in Jamaica can legally sell Cuban products; U.S. federal law makes it illegal for Americans, NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE, to purchase Cuban goods.

While this is true, and I understand it. It makes me wonder why we, or should I say our elected officials, would pass a law that cannot be enforced. Atleast not without substancial cost. I will say this though, if our government wants to spend some more money, go on down to Jamaica, mexico, or anywhere else that you can buy Cuban cigars. They can find plenty of Americans to arrest under this law.

Plus there would certainly be an issue with jurisdiction. How can you make a law that reaches to a place where you have no power?

bics and jet flames use the same type of fuel so it may just take a bit longer to light. Sometimes a softflame is a nice way to get the cigar going. I prefer a jet flame like the pb207 or the z insert for the zippo, however i saw on the tsa page that traveling with jet flame lighters is on the no list. While I do have some cheap lighters I wouldn't mind losing to tsa I don't know if I can get butane easily in Jamaica

cigarmanpa i have traveled > 20 times to JA and all but 4 i packed a colibri 1 ,2 and 3 jet lighter with no problem including a small can of colibri butane .. i do not think you can carry this on that i have never done .....enjoy

I wasn't aware of how strict the law was. It is just almost unbelievable to me that a law like that is even possible. How can they possibly tell me I can't do something when I am not even in the country! That is crazy. I believe it but it is still crazy. What are Americans who are in Cuba supposed to do? Our church has missionaries there. How can they legally eat?

melody google russian missle crisis and maybe you will get a better understanding of the law.

The OP isn't planning to purchase cigars in Jamaica but was inquiring about bringing cigars into Jamaica for his personal consumption. Since you raised the subject purchasing Cuban cigars in Jamaica, however, . . . .

The OP is from the U.S. It doesn't matter that vendors in Jamaica can legally sell Cuban products; U.S. federal law makes it illegal for Americans, NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE, to purchase Cuban goods.

Under the Trading with the Enemy Act, 50 U.S.C.S. Appx § 1, et seq., it is illegal for Americans, no matter where they are in the world, to do something that benefits an enemy country (Cuba is currently the only country on the list under this Act). This includes purchasing goods grown in, manufactured in, or transported through such a country, as the purchase benefits the enemy economically. A lot of people choose to ignore this law or aren't even aware of it. While it is impossible to police Americans violating the law by buying a cigar from a beach vendor and I've never heard of anyone being prosecuted for doing so, it just makes my legal hackles rise when someone counsels others that Americans may legally buy Cuban goods in Jamaica when, in fact, they cannot.

melody google russian missle crisis and maybe you will get a better understanding of the law.

I think part of why it is so unbelievable to me is that it pretty much all ended before I was born. Of course the aftermath continues to impact us but technically it was done almost 20 years before I was born and the Cold War ended when I was 10 so I just don't remember. Surely many of the teachers remembered and understood the panic and mindset of the people who lived through it but it ended recently enough that it wasn't in our text books. We didn't really learn about it in school other than to just say that it happened. We didn't even really learn about Korea or Vietnam much either. We spent what seemed like ages on WWI and WWII but everything after that was "recent history" for us and we just skimmed over it. The history Chanel has been an excellent teacher for many of the things I didn't have a chance to learn about in school but I have not seen any documentaries about this yet. I am going to read up on it though. I don't think I will ever be able to completely understand just like people born after the depression was over just can't fully understand that.